Thibaut Courtois has told Chelsea that he wants to join Real Madrid this summer for family reasons, his agent Christophe Henrotay has said.
Chelsea are reluctant to sell goalkeeper Courtois, who is in the final year of his contract, without first securing a replacement, but their top target Alisson was signed for £65 million by Liverpool last month.
Courtois has made no secret of his desire to spend more time with his two children who live with his former partner in Madrid, and also told Marca in September 2016 that he considers himself “half-Spanish” after spending three years on loan with Atletico.
Numerous reports have suggested that Madrid have offered £35m for Courtois, and Henrotay urged Chelsea to take their goalkeeper’s wishes into consideration.
“I have been reading everywhere that Chelsea are saying it is up to Thibaut, but he has made it clear to the club that the best option for him is to move to Madrid,” he told The Sun.
“For him this is a big decision because he wants to be near his family, and there is an offer in place [from Madrid] for Chelsea to accept.
“We have seen suggestions that it is about money, and it is true he could get an increase with a move. But he has turned down a better offer elsewhere because this is more than a financial decision.
“Throughout this it has important for everyone to be reasonable, and the buying club has come up with a reasonable offer for a player who has one year left on his contract when they know they could sign him without a fee in 12 months.
“Chelsea could get a fair fee for him now and sign a replacement. Or they would still have to sign a replacement next summer, but without getting a fee for Thibaut.
“It is understandable people might be upset because he wants to leave the club, we accept that. But this is a human decision based on someone wanting to be close to his children — and that is a reasonable thing too.”
Courtois is due back at Chelsea for preseason training on Monday, and speaking at a news conference ahead of the Community Shield against Manchester City on Sunday, new head coach Maurizio Sarri said he would like the Belgian to stay.
“At the moment Courtois is the goalkeeper of Chelsea,” he said. “I don’t know in the future. It depends on the club, it depends especially on him, but I hope Courtois will be our goalkeeper.”
Considered a highly promising prospect in his youth, Courtois subsequently established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.
Due to his wide range of skills, he has been described as a “complete goalkeeper”, with few weaknesses.
A consistent keeper,he possesses an excellent positional sense, good mentality, composure, strength of character, and an ability to communicate well with his defenders; he also excels in one on one situations, due to his ability to time his runs effectively when rushing out of goal to face opponents.
An excellent shot-stopper between the posts, he has also distinguished himself for his agility and quick reflexes, in spite of his size and imposing physique.
Due to his height and reach, he excels in the air,and is also known for his command of his area, as well as his excellent technique, anticipation, handling, and confidence when coming off his line to claim crosses.
Courtois speaks both Dutch and French, as well as Spanish and English.
Thibaut’s sister Valérie is a volleyball player, who plays as a libero for Budowlani Łódź and Belgium.
His parents were volleyball players, and he played the sport in his childhood but decided to focus on football when he was 12.
On 26 May 2015, his Spanish girlfriend Marta Domínguez gave birth to their daughter, Adriana.
The couple ended their relationship in April 2017 while Domínguez was pregnant with their son Nicolás, who was born a month later.[